Currently Reading - The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Annual Collection

9. “Covenant of Souls” by Michael Swanwick

Not science fiction (fantasy).

A story of the USA in the probably near future in one of its archetypal conflicts. The world is wracked by war, social systems are crumbling, and the sinister United States government seeks to assure its pre-eminence by hijacking the strange powers of a mysterious woman to remake the world in its image. Fortunately(?) this is thwarted(?) by the Rube Goldberg mechanism that is the huddled, downtrodden masses.

Power-grasping government machinations vs not the conscious will of the people, nor their simple goodness, but the sheer weight of their existence not being drowned out.

Still looking for the Michael Swanwick story to wow me, but I did not hate this. Throughout it is nicely personal. The presentation is such that, well - with the setting being a church and all, for a while I thought the government man might have been Satan himself seeking entrance. I suppose he still could have been.